Lance Scranton: Work harder, rewards will come

Have you ever wondered why food companies charge more money for a smaller product and call it a "healthy serving?" Why people who insist on everything being fat-free and sugar-free are usually the ones struggling with weight? Or a teenage athlete who insists on the "very best" (most expensive) apparel or shoes because it will, "make me play better" or, "if I look good, I play good."

Companies, people and parents can justify any decision they make these days because our culture allows us the freedom to make our own decisions about how we raise our children, what we eat, or the products that we buy. Companies have latched on to this mindset and run wild with promises that if we purchase their product we will have a healthier population, six-pack abdominals will be the norm and amazing athletes will sprout up everywhere.

Just about every young athlete I coach wants to know how to get bigger, faster and stronger and usually ask me how I did it, "back in the day." I tell them that I needed to be faster so I went out for track and ran sprint workouts. I needed to be bigger, so I ate six or seven meals a day. I had to be stronger so I lifted five days a week at 6 a.m. in the morning (okay this part was mandatory).

My point is that I knew the only "real" way to get what I wanted was to put in the work and would have to sacrifice some things that were important to me but would have to be put aside for a time so I could realize some other goals.

I was surrounded by teammates who were taking shortcuts or were extremely talented. I wasn't into drugs and the talent I possessed was largely due to my work ethic. I didn't get mad — that's just the way it was so I continued with what would allow me the best outcome possible.

Most of us have to work for what we want and very often the harder we work, the more rewarding the outcome.